Provo Police Chief Resigns Following Allegations Of Sexual Assault

Provo City Mayor John Curtis addresses the media Thursday at Provo City Hall.

Whittney Evans

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Provo police chief John King resigned earlier this week amid allegations of sexual assault. No charges have been filed, but Provo Mayor John Curtis says the circumstances have cast a shadow on the department.

In a letter to the Utah County Attorney’s Office, dated March 1st, Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill said he found insufficient evidence to file charges against former Provo Police Chief John King. But Provo Mayor John Curtis says after receiving additional information from Salt Lake County regarding the investigation, he and King mutually agreed King should resign.

“Regardless of how valid the charges were, he has been tainted and damaged,” Curtis says. “And it was my feeling that it would be impossible for him to go forward leading the department with that hanging out there in the community.”

Curtis says he received the complaint against King on February 8th and immediately referred it to the Utah County Attorney’s office. Utah County handed the investigation over to the Unified Police Department in Salt Lake County to avoid any potential conflicts of interest.

King, who is originally from Maryland told reporters earlier this week his departure was due to family health concerns. Mayor Curtis says King is in fact dealing with life-threatening personal issues, compounding his doubts that he’s able to lead the department. This comes as Provo Police investigate an armed robbery and homicide that occurred in Provo Monday night.

“I need somebody when something like that happens in my city to be 100 percent head-in-the-game. And then they’ve got to stand before the public,” Curtis says. “And I can’t have the public questioning them.”

Curtis confirmed the woman who accused King of sexual assault was not a Provo City employee or a minor.